Fake bank agent has Coral Springs woman hand over $40K in fraud scheme, cops say

An accused fraudster posing as a Bank of America agent convinced a Coral Springs woman to withdraw $40,000 and hand it over to him at her condo complex, police said.

Juvenson Sudney, 37, of Pompano Beach, is now charged with grand theft, organized scheme to defraud and identity theft, according to Broward court records.

He was arrested Jan. 27 and bonded out three days later. His attorney information wasn’t available in court records as of Feb. 4.

The incident happened in September, when a woman said she started being contacted by so-called members of Bank of America’s fraud department, Coral Springs Det. Brett Schroy wrote in a probable cause affidavit.

The caller told the victim that someone had tried to make a $300 purchase using her account, then someone had tried to wire transfer $42,000 out of her account, but the transfer was canceled, she recounted to police.

She said on Sept. 29, they called her again and said someone attempted to make another withdrawal, so they recommended she go to her bank and withdraw $40,000, according to detectives.

The woman recounted she stayed on the phone with the fraudsters while she drove to multiple Bank of America locations to withdraw enough cash, then they told her they would send a courier for her to give the money to, the report says.

That afternoon, Sudney was captured on camera in a Chevrolet Suburban pulling up the gate of the Palm Point condominium complex to request entry, according to police.

He then drove to the woman’s building, and she placed the bag in the back of the car before walking around to the driver’s side for a few seconds, police said after reviewing security footage.

The woman told the fraudsters on the phone that she felt uneasy, and they asked her to withdraw another $40,000 to further protect herself from fraud, she recounted to police. She said they eventually ended the call and wouldn’t take any more calls from her.

Using the footage from the Palm Point gate, facial recognition software identified the driver of the Suburban as Sudney, then a license plate reader confirmed a Suburban registered in his name was captured on camera driving west on Lakeview Drive and Atlantic Boulevard just outside of Palm Point around the time of the hand-off, according to investigators.

The woman identified Sudney’s photo out of a lineup as the man to whom she gave four packages of $10,000, saying she had looked at him for several seconds during their interaction, police said.

Both the woman and Bank of America confirmed they wanted to prosecute.

“Bank of America will never ask a client to withdraw money or send to themselves or anyone, ever,” the company said in a statement. “Spoofing and fraud communications from a bad actor often appear to be authentic from the bank. Clients who have questions after they receive calls or texts that appear to be from their bank should call the customer service number on their debit or credit card or review their transactions online to confirm any questionable or fraudulent inquiries.”

In a recent video posted on Coral Springs Police Department’s social media accounts, Schroy shared tips for identity theft awareness month.

“First, never share your personal identification information, like your social security number, unless it’s absolutely necessary,” he said. “Second, monitor your bank accounts and your credit reports regularly for unusual activity, and report it. Third, use unique and special passwords for every account.”